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Free workshops to offer comfortable classrooms to Philadelphia students

Image: Penn State

Free workshops to offer comfortable classrooms to Philadelphia students

October 25, 2017

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program at Penn State will offer “Building Re-tuning: An Energy Sustainability Series” at no cost to facility managers in school districts, community colleges and government offices in the Philadelphia area. The workshops — offered by PennTAP over the course of the next year— will present a succession of energy efficiency solutions including an introduction to the fundamentals of building re-tuning (BRT), low cost opportunities for operational improvements, best practices and maintenance strategies.

The first workshop in the series will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16, at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit 23, 2 W. Lafayette St. in Norristown.

Alanna Colvin, technical adviser for Energy and Environment for PennTAP, said BRT is a systematic approach to ensure buildings are operating at maximum efficiency while lowering energy costs.

“The workshops will focus on elements of BRT that can save a client money,” Colbert said. “Opportunities for improvement could come from taking a look at ventilation, equipment use and energy benchmarking, to rebate programs, shared success stories and practical walk-throughs of diverse facilities.”

Frederick Remelius, director of operations for the Upper Merion Area School District, said components of a building’s HVAC system often fail or work improperly without operators knowing it — and it could be costly.

“These failures have often led to poor occupant comfort, indoor air quality issues and wasted energy,” Remelius said. “We are confident that attending PennTAP’s BRT program will enable our staff, and those at other school districts, to formalize the way they re-tune buildings to operate efficiently and provide safe, comfortable environments for students to work and learn.”

Funding for “Building Re-tuning: An Energy Sustainability Series,” offered by PennTAP, is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program through a PA DEP grant.

The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program at Penn State will offer “Building Re-tuning: An Energy Sustainability Series” at no cost to facility managers in school districts, community colleges and government offices in the Philadelphia area.